Device for modelling in clay



April 22, 1958 J. EISNER DEVICE: FOR MODELLING 1N CLAY Filed Feb. 24.1954 INVENTOR c /zC/ ,Eisner United States Patent() 2,831,286 DEVICE FORMODELLING IN CLAY Jack Eisner, Kew Gardens Hills, N. Y. ApplicationFebruary 24, 1954, Serial No. 412,236 1 Claim. (Cl. 41-1) My inventionrelates to improvements in modelling or sculpturing appliancesespecially adapted for obtaining various effects with artists clay andthe like soft plastic materials that can easily be worked with the hand.

An important object of this invention is to provide means for preformingpieces of clay into parts of an object to be produced, and thenassembling,r said parts in their proper relations and working themfurther into a finished creation.

Another object is to provide apparatus for the purpose stated comprisinga member in which the component parts of a selected object are tirstshaped one by one, and a second member to which said parts aretransferred and caused to adhere in the production of the completedwhole.

The nature and advantages of the invention are fully describedhereinafter and the novel features are pointed out in the appendedclaim. The drawings illustrate a preferred embodiment of theimprovement, but changes in minor respects may be adopted withoutomission or alteration of any of the essential characteristics.

On said drawings:

Figure 1 is a front view of a support upon which lumps of the clay orlike plastic are mounted.

Figure 2 is a side view of the front part of said support.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the rear part of said support.

Figure 4 is a top plan of a mold tray or box to be employed in givingpieces of clay their initial shape.

Figure 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a sheet or panel, having the moldcavities required, for use with the mold box; and

Figure 7 shows an example of the results that can be gained in thepractice of my invention.

The numeral 1 indicates a support upon which pieces of modelling claycan be stuck to make up an object having the appearance desired. Itcomprises a front section 2 and a rear section 3, and a projection 4 atthe bottom, in two halves, one carried by each section, so that thesupport can be mounted on a suitable pedestal or base. The front section2 has a pair of cavities 5, one at each side, at the upper part and a atsurface 6 between and below the cavities 5. The surface 6 has acentrally located projecting stud 7 below the cavities 5, and thissurface intersects the side surfaces of the section 2, which are roundedand convex, along curved lines 8 which bulge outward adjacent thecavities 5 and stud 7. In each of the cavities 5 is a stud 9, and ineach side of the section 2 is a. stud 10, the studs 7 and 10 beingapproximately in transverse alinement. The sections 2 and 3 areotherwise so shaped that when united they form a faceless head,

riice with rounded parts or surfaces along the lines 8 and between theselines and the studs 10 representing cheeks; and neck 11, half of whichis included in each section, and each section carries part of theprojection 4. The soft clay is put on the stud 7 and worked to resemblea nose and mouth; on the studs 9 in the cavities 5 to give the eyes andbrows, and on the studs 10 at the sides to make the ears; as indicatedin broken lines on .Figures 2 and 3.

To prepare these various simulated features and other parts of the head,the mold box 12 is utilized with a mold plate or panel 13. The box ortray 12 has a raised bottom 14 surrounded by a raised rim 15. The moldsheet or plate is of exible material such as sheet rubber and has in oneface a mold cavity 16 for the nose, cavities 17 at each side of thecavity 16 for the brows and eyeballs; a cavity 18 for the mouth belowthe cavity 16; and cavities p 19 for the ears at each side of the mouthcavity 18, and

below the cavities 17. The cavity 16 has small knobs 20 at the largerend to cause the clay for the nose to seem hollow as if it weretraversed by the nasal passages or nostrils. The cavities 17 have curvedridges 21 meeting at their ends, with hollows 22 between them to formthe eyes and brows; the cavity 18 has a transverse central rib 23 toseparate the lips; and the cavities 19 have projections 24 anddepressions to impart to a piece of clay therein an outline and surfacelike the form and convolutions of the outer ear. The panel 13 is laid onthe bottom 14 which has depressions 25 in which the bulging portions 27on the opposite face of the panel 13 under the depressions or moldcavities above mentioned are seated. When the plate 13 is in the moldbox, the cavities 16, 17, 18 and 19 are filled, and the panel is thenremoved and the pieces of clay in the cavities of the panel are takenout. The rim 15 of the mold box has notches 26 so that the edges of thepanel can easily be grasped by the workers lingers and lifted from thebox 12.

The mold cavities in the panel 13 can easily be evacuated by pressing upthe lower face below each cavity, and when the pieces of clay areexpelled they are attached to the support 1, as indicated in dashedlines on Figure l. Enough additional clay is put on to cover the cheeks,crown, chin and neck. By attaching more clay to the nose, lips, chin,cheeks, etc., the head and face can be given any desired look orappearance, like an ordinary human face, or distorted to be like aphysiognomy for a caricature or cartoon. The exibility of the sheet 13is indicated by the curled corner 28 on Figure 5. A hat as shown inFigure 7 can be added if desired.

The appliances herein described are made up in the form of sets for saleas unitary equipment and packed all in one box or carton. For thatreason the support 1 is in two sections 2 and 3, one of which has aperipheral shoulder 29 that tits into a recess of the other, with anedge 30 having an inside shoulder 31. The shoulder 29 has spring catches32 with laterally curved ends so that when the sections 2 and 3 areassembled, the ends of the fingers will slip past the rim 30 and catchagainst the shoulder l31. Thus the two sections can be detachablysecured together when the support is to be set up for use. The divisionof the head in this way enables the set to be put up in a shallowertray.

Having described my invention, what I believe to be new is:

A device for modelling with soft clay comprising a box Patented Apr. 22,19,58

having a raised bottom, a peripheral rim supporting and projecting abovesaid bottom, the box' being hollow and open below said bottom, said rim`having notches in its upper edge, the bottom having depressions in itsupper face, a sheet of fiexible material on said bottom, said sheethaving open mold cavities with depressions and ridges in its uppersurface to impart to pieces of clay pressed therein a likeness todifferent features of the human face, said sheet having bulges on itslower face to lit said depressions in said bottom, the notchesfacilitating the removal of the 10 sheet from said box-.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Fairchild Ian. 26, 1897 McClintock June 11, 1907Kapernick July 19, 1932 Jacobson Jan. 2, 1934 Sexton Apr. 14, 1936Tworney Nov. 30, 1948 Theis Sept. 23, 1952 Jackson Sept. 28, 1954

